Surely corporate strategy is only for business studies students? At least that’s what I thought when looking for a placement between my Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. I certainly didn’t expect to end up doing a three-month internship in corporate strategy at MANN+HUMMEL. It would have been a much more logical step with my engineering background to apply for an internship in a technical area. Until then, I had never taken an interest in business or management topics, let alone those related to corporate strategy. Yet I had a nagging feeling that I wanted to lift the lid on a new area.

MANN+HUMMEL gave me the perfect opportunity to do just this, as its Corporate Strategy & Innovation Management department was looking for an intern with my technical background to work on a project in Competitive & Technical Intelligence. It was as if the position was made for me! So just a few weeks later, I joined the team.

Outstanding organisation meant that everything was perfectly prepared for my first day, from my laptop and network access to my very own MANN+HUMMEL, which incidentally served me very well throughout my internship. 🙂

Being new to the area, it was great to find that my more experienced colleagues were always happy to listen to my questions and provide assistance when I got stuck. It is a real pleasure to work in such a friendly and welcoming environment. There’s a real sense of team spirit and I have felt like part of the team since day one. It has also been fantastic to meet other students from many different countries and educational backgrounds, many of whom have become really good friends. What’s more, we mostly speak to each other in English, so I’ve had the chance to brush up my rusty English skills!

The wide range of topics covered has been fascinating. From the very start, my colleagues have given me a lot of responsibility and independence. Unfortunately, since most corporate strategy work is top secret, I can’t tell you much; but suffice to say it’s been great fun!

The best part is that I am still working for MANN+HUMMEL and have now been here for almost a year. I am currently working as a student trainee for the Competitive & Technical Intelligence team alongside my Master’s degree, which enables me to build on my business management skills and also finance my studies.

I would highly recommend this kind of internship to anyone, no matter what their background. It has given me the perfect opportunity to gain practical experience outside my university course in an area that was completely new to me and which I would otherwise have known nothing about.

AuthorLars Libuda

Lars Libuda completed a three-month internship in the Corporate Strategy & Innovation Management department and supported the team there as a student trainee. He mainly worked in the area of Competitive & Technical Intelligence and was studying for a Master's degree in Medical Technology at the University of Stuttgart.